Of Dead Elves and Hungry Hobbits
by Wren03
Summary: Pippin wakes up in the middle of the night to an unpleasant surprise. Just a bit of nonsense thought up while staying at a friend's house.


Of Dead Elves and Hungry Hobbits  
  
Summary: Pippin wakes up in the middle of the night to a most unpleasant surprise.   
  
Disclaimer: If you recognize it, it isn't ours. If we were getting paid for this then don't you think we'd be off spending the money instead of sitting here (hopefully) entertaining you with our pointless drivel? As far as the characters are concerned, we are simply borrowing them without permission, but with every intention of bringing them back (eventually).   
  
By Wren03 and Tari5   
  
The night was cool and clear, and Peregrin Took awoke suddenly, to a slight growling in his stomach. Still bleary from sleep, he rummaged around a moment, looking for his pack, and the food therein.   
  
A soft moan escaped him when he saw he had eaten it all. He stood up about to go search Sam's pack when he caught sight of Legolas.   
  
The elf's eyes were wide open, reflecting the light from the stars. Pippin felt fear building inside of him. While the young hobbit had not had much experience with death, he knew the look of a corpse.   
  
His breathing quickened and his own eyes widened. Running at breakneck speed, he went to the place where Aragorn slept, and began to shake him awake. Aragorn bolted up, nearly knocking the hobbit over. "Something's wrong with Legolas!" Pippin whispered, and a look of worry that startled Pippin instantly came across Aragorn's face.   
  
Not to far away Legolas woke up briefly from the noise to see the hobbit run towards the ranger, and deciding it was nothing of immediate importance, promptly fell asleep again.   
  
Without preamble, Aragorn rushed over to where Legolas lay sleeping, Pippin in hot pursuit. When the hobbit finally caught up with the human, he was standing at the elf's side, and while Pippin couldn't see it in the bad light, the ranger's expression was one of annoyance.   
  
"Look! Look he's dead! See his eyes are open!" the hobbit whispered, though he didn't quite know why he was bothering to keep his voice down. "Why did he have to die?! He was so nice and got me food!" the hobbit moaned.   
  
"Legolas is not dead Pippin." Aragorn intoned calmly. He sighed at the hobbit's distress, looking around in resignation.  
  
"NO! See he's dead! We shall never eat meat again! No offence Strider but Legolas says you shoot like a girl." The hobbit whispered.   
  
Aragorn resisted the urge to punch the elf here and now for that remark, but more pressing matters pushed the thought aside. "Pippin, Legolas is not dead" he said more firmly now.   
  
"But, but . . . " Pippin's voice faded off into sobs, tears starting to roll down his cheeks.   
  
The human sighed, and swiftly kicked Legolas in the ribs, causing the elf to rise with a start. Pippin's eyes began to widen as he saw the supposedly dead elf sit up and look around at both of them.   
  
"YOU'RE ALIVE!" Pippin wrapped his short arms around the elf's neck and sobbed into his shoulder. Legolas shot Aragorn a confused look but began to realize he couldn't breathe properly with a hobbit squeezing the life out of him.   
  
He gently began to pry Pippin off of him, and was surprised by the hobbit's nearly vicelike grip. "Yes Pippin, I am very much alive, but I won't stay that way if you keep holding on to me like that."   
  
"Sorry." He instantly let go and looked down sadly. "I didn't mean to." He choked back a sob.  
  
Pippin ran off to where Merry was sleeping, and shook his friend awake. "Merry! Legolas isn't dead!"  
  
"Wha?" Merry replied groggily, blinking against the urge to fall asleep again.   
  
"I woke up cause I was hungry and he was dead but now he's not!" the hobbit replied excited.  
  
"That's great Pip." The older hobbit mumbled, slightly annoyed, before drifting off swiftly into unconsciousness once more.   
  
In order to keep Pippin from waking every member of the Fellowship to inform them that Legolas was in fact not dead, Aragorn placed a hand on the hobbit's shoulder.   
  
"Go back to sleep Pippin" he said wearily, and the hobbit nodded. With a sort of spring in his step that seemed to defy the lateness of the hour, he went back to the little spot where his bedroll lay crumpled in the grass.   
  
Suddenly he stiffened and spun around. "Aragorn." He started. The ranger turned around. He knew that when the hobbits used his true name they were going to talk about something serious.   
  
"I'm hungry." 


End file.
